Reinforcing Bracket for Lifting Anchors in Reinforced Concrete Walls

ABSTRACT

A reinforcing bracket has a planar central portion extending parallel to the reinforcing members with at least one central opening to receive a lifting anchor. Two V-shaped wings extend out of the plane of the central portion from the opposing ends of the central portion. Sets of aligned openings pass through these wings to receive reinforcing members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of reinforcedconcrete. More specifically, the present invention discloses areinforcing bracket for use with lifting anchors embedded in reinforcedconcrete walls and other reinforced concrete components.

2. Prior Art

Reinforced concrete has been used for many years in buildingconstruction. Reinforced concrete is typically cast by pouring concreteinto forms having a desired shape and containing reinforcing membersthat become embedded in the concrete to increase its tensile strength.Steel reinforcing bars (or rebar) and steel cables are commonly used asreinforcing members, although other reinforcing materials are alsosometimes employed.

For some construction jobs, reinforced concrete components are cast inplace on the construction site. Larger concrete walls and planarconcrete components are usually cast in a horizontal orientation, andthen righted or lifted into position after the concrete has set. Liftinganchors are often embedded in the edges of the concrete to facilitatethis operation.

Many reinforced concrete components are cast off-site and then shippedto the construction site. In particular, many construction projectsrequire prestressed concrete components, in which at least some of thereinforcing members are tensioned while the concrete sets. Thispre-tensioning is transferred to the finished concrete component andfurther increases is tensile properties. Prestressed concrete componentsare not usually produced at the construction site, but rather areproduced at a central plant and then shipped to the construction site.Here again, lifting anchors are commonly embedded in prestressedconcrete components to facilitate lifting and transportation.

The prior art includes a wide variety of lifting anchors for use withconcrete components. Burke-style lifting anchors have a rectangularshaft with an eye at one end that remains exposed at the edge of theconcrete to receive a cable or hook for lifting. Y-shaped legs at theopposing end of the shaft help to anchor the device in the concrete.Another type of lifting anchor is made of a U-shaped steel cable withits legs embedded in the concrete. The curved loop of the U-shaped cableremains exposed at the edge of the concrete for lifting purposes. Othertypes of lifting anchors are also used in the industry. It should beunderstood that the term “lifting anchor” should be broadly construed toencompass any such device for lifting concrete components.

In many reinforced concrete components, the lifting anchors are notmechanically tied into the reinforcing members embedded in the concrete.This has the advantages of simplicity and low cost, but significantlylimits the ultimate strength of the assembly when the concrete componentis lifted.

To address this shortcoming, lifting anchors are sometimes welded to therebar. This may be acceptable if a skilled welder is readily availableat the job site and the number of welds required is reasonably small.However, in many situations, welding can become expensive andtime-consuming.

In addition, the prior art includes a number of mechanical devices forsecuring the lifting anchors to the reinforcing members. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,947 (Turner) discloses a twisted hanger clip thatconnects an anchor bolt to rebar embedded in the concrete. The hangerclip 36 is perhaps most clearly shown in FIG. 3 of the Turner patent.U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2004/0010984 (Wright) shows ananchoring device that has a lifting pin, a cup-shaped void former, andorthogonal attachment arms with slots for engaging rebar. U.S. Pat. No.6,694,680 (Zambelli et al.) shows a lifting insert having a tubularinsert, and a brace made of a steel strip with opposing wings thatextend adjacent to the rebar. U.S. Patent Application Pub. No.2010/0037536 (Schulze) discloses a lifting insert assembly for concretepanels that has a cup-shaped cap, a triangular insert, and an X-shapedfoot with clips for engaging the rebar. However, the prior art devicesin this field have limitations in terms of cost, complexity, assemblyrequirements, and/or load limitations. Therefore, a need continues toexist for a reinforcing bracket for use with lifting anchors that hasthe advantages of simplicity, low cost and ruggedness.

In particular, the present invention eliminates the need for costlywelding operations to connect lifting anchors to the reinforcing membersfor the piece. The present invention is also very quick and easy toassemble, and does not require the use of tools for assembly. Thepresent invention accommodates a variety of lifting anchors, such asBurke-style lifting anchors and loop lifting anchors. Finally, thepresent invention allows heavier pieces to be lifted with greaterconfidence. Testing has shown the present reinforcing bracketeffectively distributes the weight of the concrete component over agreater area. The present invention increases the size of the resultingshear cone during lifting, thereby decreasing the risk of failure duringlifting and increasing the safety of the side-lifting operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a reinforcing bracket for use with a liftinganchor embedded in a reinforced concrete wall. The reinforcing brackethas a planar central portion extending parallel to the reinforcingmembers with at least one central opening to receive a lifting anchor.Two V-shaped wings extend out of the plane of the central portion fromthe opposing ends of the central portion. Sets of aligned openings passthrough these wings to receive reinforcing members.

These and other advantages, features, and objects of the presentinvention will be more readily understood in view of the followingdetailed description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more readily understood in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bracket 20.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the reinforcing bracket 20.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the reinforcing bracket 20.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the reinforcing bracket 20.

FIG. 5 is a left side elevational view of the reinforcing bracket 20.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the reinforcing bracket 20assembled with reinforcing members 12, 14 and a Burke-style liftinganchor 50.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view showing the assembly in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly in FIG. 6 embedded in aconcrete wall 10.

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the reinforcing bracket 20assembled with reinforcing members 12, 14 and a loop lifting anchor 60.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly in FIG. 9 embedded ina concrete wall 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to FIG. 1, a perspective view is provided of a reinforcingbracket 20 embodying the present invention. A corresponding frontelevational view is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view. FIGS.4 and 5 show rear and left side elevational views of the reinforcingbracket 20, respectively. The major components of the reinforcingbracket 20 include a substantially planar central portion 26 with agenerally rectangular shape. This central portion 26 runs parallel tothe reinforcing members adjacent to the edge of the concrete componentafter assembly. Its width is slightly less than the width of theconcrete component in which the reinforcing bracket 20 is to beembedded, so that the reinforcing bracket 20 will be entirely encased inconcrete. The plane of the central portion 26 of the reinforcing bracket20 will also be generally parallel to the plane of the edge of theconcrete component.

Two wings 30, 31 and 40, 41 wings protrude out of the plane of thecentral portion 26 from the opposing ends of the central portion 26. Inthe embodiment of the present invention shown in the accompanyingdrawings, these wings 30, 31 and 40, 41 have a generally V-shapedcross-section. Alternatively, the wings could be U-shaped or any of avariety of other configurations.

At each wing, a first wing portion 30, 40 continues from the end of thecentral portion 26 and extends out of the plane of the central portion26. A second wing portion 31, 41 continues from the first wing portion30, 40 and returns toward the plane of the central portion 26. Both thefirst wing portions 30, 40 and second wing portions 31, 41 can besubstantially planar and rectangular in shape. In particular, thecentral portion 26 and wings 30, 31 and 40, 41 can be formed from asingle flat, rectangular piece of steel by conventional bendingoperations.

Reinforcing members are typically placed to run in a variety ofdirections within concrete components. For example, reinforcing membersoften form cages or frames within concrete components. Of these, somesegments of the reinforcing members run parallel to the surface of theedge of the concrete component, but at a depth of a few inches withinthe concrete.

A number of sets of aligned holes or openings 32-35 and 42-45 passthrough the wings 30, 31 and 40, 41 to receive these reinforcing members(e.g., rebar 12, 14). Assuming at least these segments of thereinforcing members are straight, a first rebar 12 can be insertedthrough openings 33, 32, 42 and 43, and a second rebar 14 can beinserted through openings 35, 34, 44 and 45 as shown for example inFIGS. 6-9. Typically, these rebars 12, 14 run parallel to the edge ofthe concrete component 10 at a depth of a few inches below the surfaceof the concrete as shown in FIG. 8. In other words, the rebars 12, 14,the central portion 26 of the reinforcing bracket 20, and the edge ofthe concrete component 10 are all parallel to one another whenassembled.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate use of the reinforcing bracket 20 in conjunctionwith a Burke-style lifting anchor 50. FIG. 6 is a rear perspective viewof the reinforcing bracket 20 assembled with rebars 12, 14 and aBurke-style lifting anchor 50. FIG. 7 is a corresponding frontperspective view showing this assembly. A Burke-style lifting anchor 50commonly has Y-shaped legs 51, 52 at its distal end and a lifting holeor eye 54 near the proximal end of the shaft to receive a cable or hookfor lifting the concrete component 10. The proximal end of the shaft andthe eye 54 are remain exposed in a cup-shaped recess 16 at the edge ofthe concrete component 10 as shown in FIG. 8. Many Burke-style liftinganchors 50 also include a pair of side notches 53 in the edges of theshaft.

The central portion 26 of the reinforcing bracket 20 includes a largecentral opening 21 to receive the shaft of the Burke-style liftinganchor 50. Optionally, the central opening 21 can be key-shaped to allowinsertion of the shaft of a lifting anchor 50 through the centralportion in a first rotational orientation, but engage the lifting anchor50 to the reinforcing bracket 20 when the lifting anchor 50 is rotatedto a second rotational orientation. For example, the embodiment shown inthe accompanying drawings has a central opening 21 that is generallyoval in shape with vertical extensions 22, 23 for holding the liftinganchor 50 in a vertical orientation.

The following is a description of the stops involved in used the presentinvention. Lifting anchors are typically installed at intervals along atleast one edge of the concrete component 10 as depicted in thecross-sectional view in FIG. 8. First, the reinforcing bracket 20 isembedded into the internal reinforcing cage or frame. A lifting anchor50 is then attached to the reinforcing bracket 20. The concrete is thenpoured and allowed to cure. Once the concrete has cured and reached itsrelease strength, the form is removed from around the concrete component10. Lifting hooks are then snapped into each of the lifting anchors 50embedded along the sides of the piece 10. An overhead crane then liftsthe piece 10 out of the form. The concrete component 10 is then moved toa tilt table where the piece is stood upright, or the piece 10 can bestood up in place.

Optionally, the present invention can be used in combination with a looplifting anchor, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is a rearperspective view of the reinforcing bracket 20 assembled with a looplifting anchor 60. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly inFIG. 9 embedded in a concrete wall 10. The loop lifting anchor 60 isgenerally U-shaped with two legs 61, 62 that can be inserted throughsmaller openings 24, 25 in the central portion 26 of the reinforcingbracket 20.

The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the presentinvention described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawings.Those skilled in this art will appreciate that various changes,modifications, other structural arrangements, and other embodimentscould be practiced under the teachings of the present invention withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention as set forth in the followingclaims.

1. A reinforcing bracket for use with a lifting anchor embedded in aconcrete component having a substantially planar edge and reinforcingmembers running parallel to the edge, said reinforcing bracketcomprising: a substantially planar central portion extending betweenopposing ends parallel to the reinforcing members, with the plane of thecentral portion extending parallel to the planar edge of the concretecomponent; at least one central opening through the central portion toreceive a lifting anchor; two substantially planar wings extending outof the plane of the central portion from the opposing ends of thecentral portion; and at least one set of reinforcing member openingsthrough the wings aligned to receive a reinforcing member.
 2. Thereinforcing bracket of claim 1 wherein at least one of the wings has aV-shaped cross-section comprising: a substantially planar first wingportion extending out of the plane of the central portion; asubstantially planar second wing portion continuing from the first wingportion and returning toward the plane of the central portion; and atleast one set of reinforcing member openings through the first wingportion and second wing portion aligned to receive a reinforcing member.3. The reinforcing bracket of claim 1 wherein the central portion andwings are formed from a single rectangular piece of material.
 4. Thereinforcing bracket of claim 1 wherein the central opening comprises akeyed shape allowing insertion of a lifting anchor through the centralportion in a first rotational orientation, and engaging the liftinganchor to the lifting bracket when the lifting anchor is rotated to asecond rotational orientation.
 5. The reinforcing bracket of claim 1wherein the central portion comprises a plurality of openings to receivethe legs of a loop lifting anchor.
 6. A reinforcing bracket for use witha lifting anchor embedded in a concrete component having a substantiallyplanar edge and reinforcing members running parallel to the edge, saidreinforcing bracket comprising: a substantially planar central portionextending between opposing ends parallel to the reinforcing members,with the plane of the central portion extending parallel to the planaredge of the concrete component; at least one central opening through thecentral portion to receive a lifting anchor; two V-shaped wingsextending out of the plane of the central portion from the opposing endsof the central portion; and at least one set of reinforcing memberopenings through the wings aligned to receive a reinforcing member. 7.The reinforcing bracket of claim 6 wherein at least one of the wingscomprises: a substantially planar first wing portion extending out ofthe plane of the central portion; and a substantially planar second wingportion continuing from the first wing portion and returning toward theplane of the central portion.
 8. The reinforcing bracket of claim 6wherein the central portion and wings are formed from a singlerectangular piece of material.
 9. The reinforcing bracket of claim 6wherein the central opening comprises a keyed shape allowing insertionof a lifting anchor through the central portion in a first rotationalorientation, and engaging the lifting anchor to the lifting bracket whenthe lifting anchor is rotated to a second rotational orientation. 10.The reinforcing bracket of claim 6 wherein the central portion comprisesa plurality of openings to receive the legs of a loop lifting anchor.11. A reinforcing bracket for use with a lifting anchor embedded in aconcrete component having a substantially planar edge and reinforcingmembers running parallel to the edge, said reinforcing bracketcomprising: a substantially planar central portion extending betweenopposing ends parallel to the reinforcing members, with the plane of thecentral portion extending parallel to the planar edge of the concretecomponent at least one central opening through the central portion toreceive a lifting anchor; two wings extending from the opposing ends ofthe central portion, each wing having: (a) a substantially planar firstwing portion extending out of the plane of the central portion; and (b)a substantially planar second wing portion continuing from the firstwing portion and returning toward the plane of the central portion; andat least one set of reinforcing member openings through the wingsaligned to receive a reinforcing member.
 12. The reinforcing bracket ofclaim 11 wherein the first wing portion and second wing portion form astructure having a substantially V-shaped cross-section.
 13. Thereinforcing bracket of claim 11 wherein the central portion and secondwings are formed from a single rectangular piece of material.
 14. Thereinforcing bracket of claim 11 wherein the central opening comprises akeyed shape allowing insertion of a lifting anchor through the centralportion in a first rotational orientation, and engaging the liftinganchor to the lifting bracket when the lifting anchor is rotated to asecond rotational orientation.
 15. The reinforcing bracket of claim 11wherein the central portion comprises a plurality of openings to receivethe legs of a loop lifting anchor.